Battery usage in various devices has proliferated with advancements in rechargeable battery technology, e.g. lithium-ion batteries and the like. Advantageously, advancements in battery technologies has provided for a widespread adoption of “unplugged” devices that can operate without requiring cabling to a power source. Rechargeable batteries are utilized in any number of devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, bar code scanning devices, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, smart phones and other personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, two-way radios and pagers, wireless local area network (WLAN) devices, and the like. These devices can be generally referred to as mobile devices or terminals. Generally, the battery can be removable and replaceable in a mobile device. For example, the battery can be removed from a mobile device and placed in a charging station for recharging. Afterward, the battery can be removed from the charging station and reinserted in the mobile device.
Battery contacts are an important consideration in the design of battery packs. As described herein, a battery pack includes a battery housing, battery contacts, and battery cells disposed within the battery housing and coupled to the battery contacts. For example, the battery cells can be a rechargeable battery including several “dry cell” types, which are sealed units and are therefore useful in mobile devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers. Exemplary battery cells can include nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), and lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells.
With respect to mobile devices and the associated recharging station for a battery pack, the battery contacts must be designed to properly engage both the device (also referred to as the terminal) and the recharging station. Thus, battery contact design is an important aspect of battery pack design. A problem can arise whereby the battery pack requires different connection modes for the terminal and the recharging station. There are often conflicting design requirements such as connections to the terminal can require a durable and rugged design whereas connections to the recharging station can require ease of use. For example, a battery pack can slide perpendicular to engage one device and parallel to engage to another device.